One Autumn Day.
Winter Noble-Hughes - October 15th, 2032
“Okay, there we go, princess,” I say after finishing up Willow’s hair. She squeals as she admires my handiwork in the mirror. “Ooh, you look so gorgeous! Don’t you think so, LoLo?”
“Yes! I’m so pretty!” she nods before turning to hug me tightly. “Thank you, Mama.”
“You’re so welcome, baby. Now, go get your backpack so we can get ready to go.”
“Okay!” She replies before running off.
A few seconds later, Cassidy enters the room fully dressed, but with no shoes on. I shake my head because he would find any excuse not to wear shoes. And it’s not because they didn’t fit. Autumn and I had made sure to get him shoes with enough room to grow in. No, he just preferred to walk around in either socks or barefoot.
“Cass, we talked about this,” I sigh, gently pulling him over to me. I squat, making myself eye level with him. “You have to wear shoes to school, buddy.”
“Ugh, but I hate them!” the four-year-old whines.
“I know, Little Man, but it’s the rules,” I reply gently. “And that specific one is in place, so you won’t get hurt out on the playground, okay?”
“Okay,” he sighs.
“Good. Now, please go put your shoes on. We’re already running late, and we still have to drop Syd off first.”
“You know, if you and Mom would just let me take driving classes, I could be driving,” Syd says as she enters the room. Cass takes that as his chance to scurry off.
I take in my now 15-year-old daughter, and I have to stop myself from getting emotional whenever I think about how much she has grown over the years. When she walked into my classroom nine years ago, I never expected that being her teacher would eventually lead to me marrying her mom and adopting her as my daughter. And I definitely didn’t think that Autumn and I would go on to have Cassidy and Willow.
But honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love the family that we’d created, and I’d do anything for these four humans. They were the most important people in my life, and I was so thankful that I was able to be a part of theirs.
“Ma’am, you are only fifteen,” I chuckle. “Even if you did go to driving school, which won’t be for another few months, you already know our rule.”
“Ugh, I can’t believe you’re really making me wait until I graduate until I get a car,” she groans.
“Well, Miss Top of the Class, it’s not like you have to wait too long, seeing as you’re going to graduate a year early.”
“Still, that’s so far away.”
“Patience, Sweet Pea,” I chuckle. “What did I promise you when you were younger?”
“That you would buy me the best car on the lot when I graduated if I kept my grades up and stayed out of trouble,” she replied. I nod.
“And you’ve done just that, and more,” I point out. I drape my arm over her shoulder and pull her closer to me. “You’re gonna get that car, don’t worry. You just gotta wait a while longer. You stay tryna grow up on us so fast.”
“Here you go,” she giggled, pulling away. “Geez, you're starting to sound more and more like Mom every day.”
“And what’s wrong with that?” We hear Autumn say.
We turn to see Autumn entering the room, fully dressed for the day. Today was her day off, so I’d told her to relax while I handled the morning routine, but of course, she didn’t know how to stay put. I smiled, shaking my head as she walked over to where we were. She kisses Syd on the forehead before ruffling her hair.
“Mom, come on,” Syd groans, and I chuckle. “You gon mess up my hair.”
“And since when did you start caring so much about how your hair looks?” Autumn teases.
“Since she started talking to Mina’s sister,” Cassidy blurts as he and Willow enter the room again. Sydney quickly pulls him into a loose headlock, and I share a look with Autumn. He wiggles in her grasp as he giggles. “Sydie and Mina’s sister is sitting in a tree!”
“K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Willow chimes in, and Syd cuts her eyes at her as well.
“Little Man and Princess, leave your sister alone,” I tell them. “Now come on, so we can head out.”
